Does Heart of Dakota have a missions focus at any level?

[jer2911mom]

I am using HOD's LHFHG this year and really like it. However, I've been convicted lately about the need to have more of a missions focus in our homeschooling curriculum. I know MFW is strong in this area and I'm wondering if at any of the higher levels of HOD missions is emphasized. I'd also like to know if missionaries are studied at any of the higher levels. Since we are doing LHFHG in K, we will actually have an extra year where we could try something like MFW Adventures (if we want to do the planned HOD geography course in 9th). I'm thinking we could try it after Bigger/before Preparing. That would give us a feel for HOD vs. MFW. Thanks!

[abrightmom]

I don't know the answer to your question although I can share that MFW Adventures doesn't have a missions focus at all. :001_smile:

 

For what it is worth I think it is quite easy to have a missions focus in your home school regardless of what curriculum you choose to use. You can read missionary stories regularly, talk about the world and what is going on in the world, etc. One thing that I do is consult Sonlight and see what missionary/missions stories are scheduled in each Core. We have read through, plan to read through or are currently reading through these Sonlight book choices (on the side as part of Bible or read-aloud time). This isn't an exhaustive list by any means. There is a lot to pick from :001_smile::

 

1. From Akebu to Zapotec

2. Missionary Stories with the Millers (some of these stories are intense - my boys loved them; I cried in some of them; you may want to pre-screen if you're a sensitive family; we do LOVE this book though and my kids begged for it daily)

3. New Toes for Tia

4. Stories from Africa

5. Catching Their Talk in a Box

6. I Heard Good News Today

7. The Christian Heroes: Then and Now series and the Heroes for Young Readers series (these are for a bit younger kids and the Then and Now series for a bit older) - both published by YWAM

8. Hero Tales

9. MFW has a few options as well including God Speaks Numangaang (not sure of the spelling there). I haven't seen or read this yet! :001_smile:

 

Anyhow, we also love to emphasize missions and the idea that God is working throughout the world and has done so throughout history. Regardless of what curriculum I choose we can always focus on this in our times of reading and talking together. I hope this might help a little :D.

[BigMamaBird]

I'll second Sonlight's choice in "I Heard Good News Today." The stories are fairly short for little attention spans and they cover everything from the Early Church to Modern times and have selections from all over the globe. My 5 year old really enjoys it.

[NCJessieRN]

We are using MFW ECC this year and one of the books I love is Window on the World. You could use this book for whichever program you chooses. What I love about this book is it takes you to so many different places/cultures and tells youmwhat they believe and how you can pray for them. It has been very eye opening for all of us!

We are also enjoying the YWAM books and Hero Tales which are also part of ECC but were already mentioned. We used Adventures and LOVED it but like another poster said there is not a mission focus. I think "mission focus" is not only how you study missions but also how you live it out in your family.

[Donna A.]

I don't know the answer to your question although I can share that MFW Adventures doesn't have a missions focus at all. :001_smile:

 

I disagree, although I guess it depends on how you view "missions". For example, while the main Bible lessons in Adventures focus on the names and characteristics of Jesus, I think that knowing Jesus is FOUNDATIONAL for missions. Also, one lesson in particular that I can remember is when you study about Jesus as the Bread of Life, you're doing experiments with yeast and bread in the science lessons that week. In context of that bread study, you also learn what Communion means. (Not doctrinal specific, i.e., a Baptist, Presby, or Lutheran "means and ways" of Communion, but just that part of the Last Supper and WHY we observe the Lord's Supper.) This is all part of "knowing Christ", which of course *leads to* an in-depth missions study the following year.

 

Anyway, it's also recommended by the MFW author during the week of the "Bread of Life" study that you make some sort of bread dessert and take it to a neighbor.... So at an age-appropriate level, you're already teaching your children how to serve others. That IS a form of missions. It's the beginning, and the missions "theme" is prevalent throughout the MFW curriculum. :001_smile:

[Guest mrsjamiesouth]

Preparing uses Hero Tales as a history spine.

[ALB]

For what it is worth I think it is quite easy to have a missions focus in your home school regardless of what curriculum you choose to use. .

:iagree:Basically, you are just exposing your kids to different cultures and emphasizing their need to hear the good news. I think offering exposure via conferences, meeting visiting m'ss, etc. is the best way to prioritize its importance. We are actually serving in that way in a very lost culture, and so it is different for us in that it's a day to day part of our life. But, whenever we go back to the US, a few hsing families always ask us to come for a meal and talk to their kids about where we live and what we do. I LOVE doing that, and I'm sure any M's your home group supports would be so happy to do that for your dc!

A great idea I heard was to collect prayer cards of different m's and put them in a basket near the table, then pick one to pray for every night at dinner. We've also had kids write us letters asking us specific questions they had, which were really fun for us to answer!